Refrigerating apparatus.



J. D. MAYHEW. REFRIGERATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1908.

906,906. Patented Dec. 15,1908.

W/TNESSE I lNVENTOFf W l cfo/zn J/lfldg/zem UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN DAUGHERTY MAYHEW, OF TYLER, TEXAS, ASSI GNOR OF ONE-SIXTH TO JOHN LOCKE BOOTY, OF TYLER, TEXAS, ONE-SIXTH TO CALEB W. DAWLEY, OF MCALESTER, OKLA- .HOMA, AND ONE-SIXTH TO PAUL GOODWIN WHALEY AND ONE-SIXTH TO'WILLIAM LIT- TLEJOHN MARTIN, BOTH OF MARSHALL, TEXAS. f

i zmmucnnnrm APPARATUS.

ing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain 1m rovements in refrigerating apparatus, an more particularly to a system forhandling and regulating the ammonia or other li uefied refrigerant agent, so as to maintain t e ex-- pansion coils substantially filled with the refrigerant agent and to prevent the return of any of the refrigerant agent .a' liquid form to the compressor. I

In connection wlth the mam expansion coils, there [is employed a coil for preliminarily cooling the water to be frozen, and this coil is so connected to the rest of the system that the liquid and gas from the expansion coils are separated and only the liquid deliv+ ered to the preliminary cooling coil. 1 also so construct the system that should the reliminary cooling coil become partially fi led with a liquid refrigerant agent, the liquid may be returned to the main expansion coil, all parts of which are under substantially the suction pressure from the compressor.

Reference is to be'had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which the. figure shows diagrammatically an arrangement of coils, conduits and valves for carrying out my invention.

rality of expansion coils, only one of whlch, 10, is illustrated in the accom anying drawings. The coils are arrange in a su1table tank 11, adapted for the reception of brine,

and the cans or other containers for the water header 12, is an expansion chamber or c linder 14, adapted toreceive the liquefie refrigerant "agent hereinafter referred to as ammonia, through a high pressuresup ly conduit 15 and an expansion valve 16. he

liquid ammonia enters the chamber 14 and flows from therethrough the header 12 into the expansion coils. The ex ansion valve is so controlled as to maintain t e chamber 149 s ecification of Letters Patent. Application and April 21, 1908. Serial mi. 428,898.

In my improved system, I-provide a plu- Patented Dec. 15, -1908.

the tank 11 I provide a second and somewhat smaller tank 18 adapted to contain the 'dis' tilled 'water and preliminarily cool the same before it is delivered to the cans in the main freezing tank 11. Within said tank 18, are

one or more preliminary cooling coils 19 for 66 the ammonia, one end of said coil or coils being connected to a supply header 20 and the op osite end or ends belng connected to an ex aust header 21.

The compressor is connected to a suction 7 0 I or return conduit 22, and this conduit is pro- 'vided with a lurality of branches, whereby it draws gas om the exhaust header 21 of the preliminary cooling coil, from the exhaust header 13 of' the main expansion or freezing coil, and from the expansion chamber 14. These several branches may, if desired, be independent of each other, but, as illustrated, the suction conduit 22 is connected to two branches 23 and 24, the former of which connects to the header 21 and the latter of which has one branch 25 leading to 1 the chamber 14, and a second branch 26 leading to aT-couplin 27. FromtheT, one

.branch 28 leads to the eader 13 and a second branch 29 leads to'the su ply leader 20 of the preliminary cooling coii. The expansion chamber '14 is connected to the branch 29 by a conduit 30, having a re ulating valve 31,

said conduit beingrdis ose at a lower level than the branch 28 an at a, higher level than the high pressure supply conduit 15 and the header 12. I

In the operation of my improved system,

liquid'ammonia is sup lied under high pressure through the con uit 15 and-expansion valve 16 to the chamber 14, from which itflows to theexpansion coils 10 to fill-the latter. The entire internalsurface of the ex;

pansion coils is exposed to the liquid am- 'moni-a, while the entire outside surface is exo'sed to the brine or other fluid to be cooled. he maximum benefit of the vaporization of the ammonia is thus attained and the brlne isflcooled quickly and to a very low tempera 1 0 ture. The ammonia gas leaving the expan sion coils asses from the header 13 through the branc conduits 28, 26 and24 to the snqpartially filled with liquid ammonia and to 55 conduit. The li ui 20 partially fills t e preliminary coolin coil 19, and the gas leaves the latter through the header 21 and branch 23 to the suction con duit 22. Thus all liquid is prevented from returning to the com ressor and the as is returned in a dry super eated state. he ammonia is cooled by the chamber 14, so that at the time it enters the expansion coils, it is at a very low temperature. Any gas which may form from vaporization of liquid in the chamber 14 will pass directly to the compressor through the conduits 25, 24 and 22. This vaporization cools the remaining liquid to a very low tem- 25 perature prior to the entrance of the latter mto the main vaporizing coils.

Should such a large quantity of li uid be carried from the ex ansion coils to t 1e preliminary cooling coi as to raise the level in i the latter dangerously near to the branch 28, the valve 31 may be opened and the liquid in the coil 19 permitted to flow into the chamber 14 and thence again to the expansion coils.

Having thus described my invention, I 35 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: I

1. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a main freezing coil, means for deliverin a volatile refrigerant agent thereto, a pre iminary cooling coil for the material to be frozen a suction ipe, an exhaust conduit, and connections w ereby gas from its own vaporization in tilized liquid therefrom, and means for re- 7 said freezin coil may pass directly to said suction con uit and liquid from said freezin coil may pass to said preliminary cooling coi and thence to said suction pipe.

2. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of an expansion coil, means for delivering thereto a volatile refrigerating agent,

a, suction conduit for the exhaust gas from 5 said coil, and connections between said conduit and said coil, said connections includin a direct passage and a second expansion coil in parallel with said direct passage.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, the com bination of a main freezing coil, means for maintaining said coil filled with a liquefied refrigerant agent at low or suction pressure,

a preliminary cooling coil, a suction conduit, means for delivering the non-volatilized liqso uid from said freezing coil to said preliminary cooling coil, means for deliverin the gas from said freezing coil direct to sa d suction conduit, and means for returning an excess of li uid from said preliminary cooling coil to said lreezing coil. l .r

4. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of an expansion coil, a chamber in open communication therewith and at a higher elevation, means for delivering a volatile refrigerant agent to said chamber, an exhaust conduit from said coil, a second expansion coil communicating with said exhaust conduit and adapted to receive a non-volaturnin non-volatilized liquid from said second 0011 to said chamber.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

JOHN IDAUGHERTY MAYHEW. Witnesses:

JoE D. PATTERSON, RUDOLPH BREFELD. 

